Samsung Galaxy S Takes iPhone Down A Notch, Debuts At Number One In Japan

The iPhone is undeniably huge in Japan, where the device accounts for over sixty percent of all smartphones sold. The iPhone 4 alone has been the number one selling handset in Japan for the last 18 weeks.

That’s not to say its dominance is unassailable though. Call it a spin, call it a blip, but this week saw the iPhone fall out of the number one spot in Japan for the first time in over four months, as Samsung’s Android-based Galaxy S smartphone careened into the standings at number one.

That’s only from a certain point of view, though. While Samsung’s smartphone has pushed the 32GB iPhone 4 out of the number one spot, the iPhone is still dominant when you consider sales of the 16GB model.

Interesting, but given that this is the first week the (undeniably solid) Galaxy S smartphone has been available in Japan, I imagine the iPhone will untouchable again in Japan in a couple weeks time. I do wonder, though, if we’ll see a similar story about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab temporarily outselling the iPad when that device is released.

About the author:

John Brownlee is a Contributing Editor. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.